This is your daily news rundown for Tuesday, Feb. 3. In this edition:
- Construction of the controversial Northern Corridor highway has been paused yet again
- Iron County is holding a public hearing for a possible data center in Cedar City
- The Prop 4 repeal has enough signatures to get on the ballot — at least, for now
The fight over a controversial highway in southern Utah isn’t over
Construction of the controversial Northern Corridor highway in southern Utah has been paused once again.
The highway, which would be built through the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area near St. George, has been fought over in court for years.
Proponents argue it would help fight congestion as the area grows, but conservationists worry it would harm threatened wildlife in the area and worsen wildfire risk.
A plan for the highway was denied in 2024 by the Biden administration, then approved by the Trump administration in January — a decision conservation groups are suing the federal government over.
A federal judge has granted a preliminary injunction on the project while the case plays out, which means the Utah Department of Transportation isn’t allowed to begin any construction-related activities on the highway.
However, they are still allowed to conduct geotechnical work for future stages that don’t involve changes to the land.
Share your thoughts on a possible data center in Cedar City
Iron County is holding a public hearing this week for a possible new data center in Cedar City.
The 640-acre center would be built on Antelope Springs Road by Pronghorn Development, LLP.
Residents can ask questions and give comments on the development at a hearing on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in Cedar City’s Festival Hall.
For those who can’t attend in person, they can contact the Iron County Building/Zoning and Planning Department at bhamilton@ironcountyut.gov or (435) 865-5350.
The Iron County Planning Commission isn’t expected to make any decisions during that hearing.
If approved, the data center would be one of several coming to Utah. One has already been approved for Millard County and another in Santaquin City.
The Prop 4 repeal has enough signatures to get on the ballot — at least, for now
A Republican-backed effort to repeal Utah’s anti-gerrymandering law Proposition 4 has enough signatures to qualify for the ballot — but that could change.
Ballot initiatives like this one need 140,000 signatures from Utah voters, including hitting certain thresholds in at least 26 of 29 total Senate Districts.
As of Monday, the petition had 163,000 verified signatures that met the needed thresholds.
However, voters can request for their signature to be removed for 45 days after their name was posted online — and in districts that only narrowly met that threshold, that could make the difference between getting on the ballot or not.
For example, Senate District 7, which is in Davis and part of Morgan counties, is only 87 signatures over the threshold — and Davis County Clerk Brian McKenzie told KUER his office has at least a couple hundred removal requests to process.
Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson will officially determine the petition’s fate by April 30.
